The Elephant in the Room
by CBratter
Summary: Post-ep for The Ghosts who Stole Christmas. Like, everything else I write it is romantic. This one is pretty fluffy, as well. What conversation might have taken place at Mulder's when Scully came over, after they opened their gifts?


Alright, so as I have said, I am rewatching the series. Love it, even more than I did before, but "The Ghosts who Stole Christmas" has always been one of my favorite episodes, probably because Lily Tomlin and Ed Asner are amazing. As with most episodes at this point in the series, when I was done watching my creative little mind begins to cook up a romantic post-ep. So, here it is. Like it needs to be said, but I don't own the X-files. I just write for my amusement and hopefully yours. R&R, thanks.

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Mulder and Scully sat on his couch, their unwrapped gifts on his coffee table and the discarded gift wrap on the floor. The TV was back on, this time playing It's A Wonderful Life. They weren't really watching the movie; it had been acting more as background noise to their conversation.

"Have you ever thought of that, Scully?" Mulder asked, changing the subject of their conversation.

"Thought of what?" she asked, readjusting her position on the couch to face him.

"Of whose lives would be affected if you had never existed?" he asked referencing the movie.

"I think everyone has when watching this movie," she replied. "There really is no way for us to know something like that. I mean if I hadn't existed who is to say that there isn't someone else who would have filled the role for the people I encountered, that I have filled. I like to think nobody else could, but you never know."

"Nobody could replace you in my life," he said gently.

She wasn't sure how to respond to his comment. She reached out and squeezed his knee with her hand and turned her eyes to the TV screen. Mulder, too, watched the movie. Then after a few moments, noticing Scully's hand still on his knee, he said, "So are we going to talk about it?"

"Talk about what?" she asked.

"The red and green elephant in the room," he replied, smartly. "The thing we have both been thinking about since we were in that house, but that we are too scared to say."

"What do you mean, Mulder?" Scully asked. She wasn't sure if she was ready to talk about it; this was a way to buy some time, or at least, she could make him be the one to broach the subject.

"All the people who have killed themselves, each other, whatever, in that house…" Mulder began. "They were all…" He was unsure how to continue.

He knew they had both been thinking about the fact that all the other couples who had been tricked by those ghosts were, well, couples. Had their feelings for each other been the thing that had made them susceptible, or had the events of the night just brought those feelings to the front of his mind?

"Mulder?" Scully asked. Now that he seemed unable to say it, she desperately wanted him to. "Mulder?" she asked again.

"Scully, they were all in love," he spat out quickly; it had seemed the only way to not lose his nerve again.

"Mulder, that doesn't mean that…" Scully stopped before she could finish. Fear had kicked in again. She had wanted Mulder to bring it up, but now that he had, she was terrified of the consequences.

"Scully don't do that," he said severely.

"Do what?"

"Dismiss it, dismiss our feelings. You can't rationalize this one." He was getting pissed off; she could hear it in his voice.

"_Our_ feelings?" she asked. She wasn't sure what else to say.

"Fine, then, my feelings, maybe I was just hopeful that they were reciprocated." Now, he was truly pissed off. He had opened up and she was shutting down, again.

She hadn't meant to make him angry; she was just fearful. "Mulder, I didn't mean…" What was she going to say? Should she confess her feelings; should she just get up and leave? Mulder was staring at her with such intensity that she felt paralyzed to do anything.

He was trying to gauge her reaction. He had known she would resist this conversation some, but those were their roles. He pushed; she resisted; he pushed some more. So, he did. He leaned forward and placed both hands on her face, his fingers nearly meeting at the back of her neck, his thumbs against her cheeks, in front of her ears. This time, he didn't take his time. He pulled her face to his and crushed his lips to hers.

The kiss shook her to the core. She didn't pull back. She didn't want to. Without any thought, her hand was rooting itself on the back of his head. Mulder felt her lips soften under his and took the opportunity to deepen the kiss. As he did, her other arm reached up and her arms wrapped around his neck. His hands fell from her face, and his arms snaked around her pulling her close to him.

Finally, he pulled back, slightly. He smiled at her boyishly. Any anxiety he was feeling was assuaged when she returned his smile. Neither of them said anything, as Mulder leaned back against the couch, and using the arm still wrapped around Scully, pulled her with him. Her head rested against his shoulder. As they watched the rest of the movie, they both contemplated the fact that they still hadn't talked about the issue between them, but maybe that was just it. Maybe, they didn't need to talk about it.

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End file.
